Connecticut officer lauded for saving 1-year-old child’s life

HARTFORD >> A Hartford police officer is earning praise for single-handedly saving the life of an unresponsive little boy who had choked on cereal.

Police announced Friday that Officer Jill Kidik has earned the Hartford Police Department’s Lifesaving Award for her efforts on Dec. 13.

According to the department’s account, Kidik arrived at a city home for a report of a 1-year-old boy who was not breathing and unresponsive. She learned that the child had been eating cereal, choked and lapsed into unconsciousness.

Kidik, with no other emergency personnel on the scene, tried to clear the child’s mouth of potential obstructions and then administered CPR without success. She then tried a Heimlich-style maneuver for about one minute, until suddenly the child started to scream, cough and breathe on his own.